Vision

SIDT’s vision for the future of the Solomon Islands:

Every village has a good standard of living, with sustainable use of resources, good access to services and good leaders who ensure that villagers work together for the good of their community. Our vision is that every Solomon Islanders is healthy, happy and self-reliant.

Mission

SIDT’s Mission is to improve the quality of village living in the Solomon Islands by:

Designing and implementing projects that build capacity in existing village governance structures and contribute to improving the quality of village life in all areas affecting the people for the Solomon Islands.

Collecting, creating and sharing multi-media information resources that are useful and appropriate for villages, and contributing to the research and analysis of issues affecting the people of the Solomon Islands.

Networking and advocacy activities that foster mutual understanding and communication between Solomon Island villagers and the institutions, agencies and individuals who can help them make positive changes to the quality of village life.

Core Values:

Participation and community connectivity

SIDT believes that good development and positive change involves the participation of everyone in the community regardless of gender, religion, age, education level, or physical or mental disability.

Empowerment and Self-Reliance

SIDT believes that building on existing strengths in communities encourages ownership of development and ensures future sustainability. “Give a man a fish, you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish, you feed him for life”.

Learning Organisation

SIDT is committed to building on past experience by performing regular debriefs and evaluation of our work, and also learning from the government, Non-government organizations, community Based Organizations(CBO), stakeholders (current and future) to continuously improve the way we work towards achieving our vision.

Teamwork, Trust and Honesty

SIDT believes that the best results are obtained when we work with our donors, partners, stakeholders and villagers honestly and with mutual understanding and respect. We believe that the same principle applies within our organization, and strive to promote a supportive environment for all the staff of SIDT to work together to achieve our mission.

The Challenges SIDT is Faced With.

Challenge

Description

Possible Solution

Changes in Aid Policies

An example would be on Changes to the Australian Aid Program(Now DFA) in 2014; this has seen cuts to funding and changes in focus that mean SIDT has to adjust and match its new external focus if seen relevant (nb/Australia is supporting Solomon Islands Government in a number of Sectors).

Marketing of the SIDT Brand and improving SIDT infrastructure to raise income to support SIDT working towards its Goal.

Financial Sustainability:

This is an ongoing issue SIDT is faced with as a local NGO. This challenge is used to be overshadowed by existing and ongoing projects that are funded by other partnerships. Such becomes cultural to some extent. The exit of these projects in a social realm does not attracts capital to financially support SIDT’sapproach

Internal income for SIDT to be strongly emphasized and increased through the sale of its training and infrastructure services. Earnings from this should support SIDT’s information sharing work.

Donor Dependency Syndrome

Expanding and extending of SIDT’s information sharing work in Solomon Islands has been supported by the kind support from other development partners over the past 20 years. There are changes in Government policies that may affect such support either internationally or locally that will result in their exit from SIDT’s approach that is primarily social oriented.

Working with local strengths and build new partnerships with agencies that will support the infrastructure and the branding of SIDT’s work in the Solomon Islands.

Ways Forward to address financial sustainability issues includes:

Improving SIDT infrastructure and internal systems

Construction of a new Office Complex

Renovation of the Old Office Complex

NB/ The importance of these infrastructure is that it will provide or support for the information sharing hub on community development issues relating indigenous priorities, to Government and other international stakeholders facilitating community development initiatives in the Solomon Islands.

Strengthening links with Solomon Islands Government:

Ongoing communication with Government is seen as a healthy action to venture into, yet on an adversarial mode.

Building Capacity of Village Committees:

This is where SIDT plays important roles to support village people in Solomon Islands. Most of our people (85%) are village based. Around 80% of the land is under their custody (customary tenure), however they are back in time as far as being informed is concerned. There are around 5,000 villages in the Solomon Islands, almost all of them have a committee within to govern and administer the affairs of a particular village. The traditional governance system (Identity) is respected yet currently being threatened from other influences. A compromise between the old and the new system of governance is needed for a safe and stable Solomon Islands. Capacity building for villages involves training programs, village forums and advocacy, that is expected to be demonstrated by recipients of SIDT’s information sharing work throughout the Country - S.Is.

Partnership:

SIDT is committed to come to partnerships with other partners that will be of great support to the Goal, Vision and Mission of SIDT.

The organization has been recognized internationally as playing both a supportive and leading role at the village level throughout the Solomon Islands.

The organization is central to informing the people of the various issues that affect their livelihoods and daily lives.

SIDT provides counselling and care, particularly at the village level, on HIV and Aids as well as conflict resolution, mediation, good governance, disaster reduction and climate change.

The qualified and experienced staff of SIDT face huge challenges in getting their messages across to village level audiences and need financial support both from the Solomon Islands Government but, especially, from international donors willing and able to assist the organization.

SIDT's work is vitally important in the context of the Solomon Islands that suffered from several years of internal, tribal conflict, between 1998 and 2003 and efforts to promote reconciliation and peace amongst the communities are fundamentally important.

Currently, due to a lack of adequate funds and resources, the organization is struggling, at best; to maintain its country wide assistance and urgent donor assistance is needed.

With additional funding, the organization will be better able to support the Solomon Islands development objectives and their own programs will become far more meaningful and targeted.

Currently, SIDT needs money to renovate a derelict wooden building in Honiara where it can better operate from, but longer term much more money is needed to construct a purpose built headquarters for the organization.

YOU CAN AID THE SIDT BY MAKING YOUR DONATIONS TO THE SIDT's BANK ACCOUNT WHICH IS:

Account Name :

Solomon Islands Development Trust

Account # :

0135600601

Bank Name:

Westpac­ - Honiara Branch

The Current building accommodates all SIDT programs that conducts information sharing initiatives to the thousands of villages in the Solomon Islands.

Currently, SIDT needs money for renovation activities, as well as further development. All donations will be acknowledged.

A new building is proposed for the vacant site (front)

During the 2014 April flash flooding in Guadalcanal, SIDT also did work with villages to return to normalcy. Suaghi community members are being supported with building materials for a kindy classroom being damaged.

This is currently the SIDT media office space that is now in renovation. Termites are an urgent pest to combat.